POSSIBLE USE OF THE ALIAS "GEORGE RUSSELL" IN CONNECTION WITH THE WATERGATE INCIDENT (W/ATTACHMENT)

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: FOIA Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 01482436
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 28, 2022
• Document Release Date: August 7, 2017
• Case Number: F-2007-00094
• Publication Date: May 8, 1973

liKLASSIFIED
Approved for Release: 2017/01/18 C01482436
'''TERNAL coY lENTIAL
I ONLY
Ffl SECRET
ROUTING AND RECORD SHEET
SUBJECT: (Optional)
(b)(3)
FROM:
Howard J. Osborn
Director of Securit
EXTENSION
NO.
DATE
TO: (Officer designation, room number, and
building)
DATE
.0
nawm ..FORWARDED
OFFICER'S
INITIALS
COMMENTS (Number each comment to show from whom
to whom. Draw a line across column after each comment.)
L Executive Secretary,
CIA Management
Committee
Director of Security
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
--7---- el .� ,,.;;;:...:_.'"'
i.e.., n,
IL-
FORM
3-62
610 "D7,,E0,�" SECRET
CONFIDENTIAL
INTERNAL
USE ONLY
Approved for Release: 2017/01/18 C01482436
-1 UNCLASSIFIED
Approved for Release: 2017/01/18 C01482436
'EXi1�1.-
S MAY 1973
MEMORANDUM FOR: Executive Secretary,
CIA Management Committee
FROM
SUBJECT
�
�
Director of Security
RnI2tIT
Possible use of the Alias "George Russell"
in Connection with the Watergate Incident
1. Reference is made to The Washington Post article
by Jack Anderson on 8 May 1973, which suggests that James
McCord and G. Gordon Liddy may have flashed phony CIA creden-
tials under the alias of "George Russell."
3. This matter has been coordinated with Mr. Angus
Thnprmer Assistant to the Director of Central Intelligence.
Attachment
owarci J. U7Dorn
Director of Security
(b)(3)
(b)(3)
(b)(3)
Approved for Release: 2017/01/18 C01482436
Approved for Release: 2017/01/18 C01482436
CD�rrE-4--.
SUBJECT: Possible use of the Alias "George Russell" in
Connection with the Watergate Incident
Distribution:
Orig - Return to OS via DDMS
1 - Executive Registry
2 - DD/MS
Approved for Release: 2017/01/18 C01482436
Approved for Release: 2017/01/18 C01482436
�.�
The Washington Merry-Go-Round
THE. WA.SHINGTOIN POST T zieseay, M ay 8,19a.
. . . R
CIA n
neportedly Set
By jack Anderson noted � that Hunt. and , Liddy
had "traveled extensively
The Watergate ringleaders around the United States con-
apparently used phony creden-
tials, which the-central Intelli7
� gence � Agency. authinticated;
� during their spying-sabotage
tacting former -CIA employees
for the purpole, of.setting up a.
security organization- for the
Republican . Party dealing: with
'pollticalespion�." �
operations against against the Demo-, Both E.' .Howarcl. Hunt,and
!crats. McCorcL.are exCIA agents
Trusted sources hat-e told us When: '
1James McCord, While he was Hunt.) was involVed'i in the
preparing to bug Democratic Watergate -:conspiracy agent
,
!Party headquarters,. flashed John Rule-'telephonically con-,
CIA papers identifying him- taeted" presidential =.'-assistant.
; self as "George Russell." Alexander P, Butterfield for
Those who checked with the an , explanation. Our sources
CIA were assured� "George say he.was the White House li-
Russell" was a legitimate em:- aisort man with the CIA, -An
ployee. FBI' memo states - that Butter-
Other .k.urces close; to the field � informed Rule ' that
Watergate investigation. say "Hunt was used ,..�? I.. on 'highly
that G.. Gordon Liddy may sensitive, confidential matters'
also have used the same abeut nine months ago." -.
"George Russell" alias. These The first impulse of Fresi-
sources claitia the FBI origi- dent Nixon's.. campaign chiefs
tinily thought the Watergate was to blame the Watergate
"
break-in was a CLA. operation. bugging operation on the, CIA. on March.25, 1971, that we do
The CIA, however, refused Beth Hunt and McCord balked not yield one iota on inde-
to cooperate with the FBI in-
pendence, believe me. The
vestigation. A memo, :intended
! for FBI eyes only; reported:
It is recalled We specifically
were requested by the CIA
i not to interview . . . two CIA
� employees, and instructions
were issued to WFO
[Washington Field Office] to
this effect. One of the individ-
uals had already been inter-
viewed, and the second was
not interviewed per the re- lag called by the FBI. He had
quest of the CIA." : "security responsibility" at the
Another FBI memo, pre- White House, he said, but was
pared for ex-White House "not aware" that he was a des-
Chief of staff H.R. Haldeman ignated CIA liaison official.
but never submitted to him, I McCord couldn't be reached. received allegations that de- ;elm. United Feature SYncLicats
and the CIA would say only
that "McCord is a retired em-
ployee and normally would
not carry , current identifica-
tion!!
at this suggestion and sent
back angry word that they
wouldn't "sit still' for this.
They have testified under oath
that Watergate was not �a CIA
operation.
But there is g,rowmg evi-
dence of some kind of CIA in-
volvement.
Footnote: Butterfield told
my associate Joseph Spear
that he doesn't remember be
Gag Order- '
. Angry senators have
charged that the White House
had intervened with the Na-
tional -Transportation Safety
Board to stop the release of
reports, that might embarrass
the Nixon administration.
The board is- supposed to be
an independent agency which
investigates air accidents and
oversees the performance of
the Federal Aviation Adminis-
tration. Senate Commerce
Committee Chairman Warren
Magnuson (D-Wash.) believes
air safety should be kept out
of politics. "
He got assurances from
board chairman John H. Reed
board is completely independ-
ent. We try to be gentlemen in
working with [the White House,]
but � there is no 'intrusion be-
yond that independence line
and if there is any influence I
will be the first one up here to
speak to you and members of
the committee." -
Magnuson has now been in-
formed, however, that the
White House ordered the
board to cease issuing reports
critical of the administration.
In a scalding letter, Magnu-
son has written Reed: "I have
spite the assurance you
sonally provided the commit.:i.
tee on March 25, 1971, that,.on
March 18, 1973, you -called a
meeting of members of the.
National Transportation Safety,.
Board to discuss corm:Mudd
t *
. .
ons you had received from, Uri
White House staff regard*
certain lawful functions of i1f6,
board. ' -
"It has been alleged," con-
tinues the confidential letter,
"on that occasion you, acting'
as chairman of the board, re-
vealed that the ,White House
staff had expiessend displeas-
tire with you and other mem:-
bers of the board because of� -
certain reports and recommen-
dations adopted and made
publically by the board which
were critical of the Depart-
ment of Transportation and its
Federal Aviation Administra-
tion. has been charged that
you were ordered, despite'
provisions of law to the con-
trary, to cease issuing such re-
ports which might in any wa'y
be construed as critical of the
Department of Transportation
or the executive branch. Fur-
ther, charges have been made
that you informed members of
the board that unless the
board agreed to cease this at-
tivity ... that members would
be 'disciplined' by the White
House."
Magnuson demanded full
particulars from Reed who,
when contacted by us, refused
to comment.
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